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“After Shedding My Armor, I Await Marriage” Chapter 32

Why were the Imperial Guards, who should be busy protecting the Emperor during the Dragon Boat Festival, making a fuss here?

Due to the selection of potential candidates for the court, Gu Fu’s visits to the palace became increasingly frequent.

The Empress also took good care of her, frequently sending gifts to the Gu family. Gradually, people in the capital knew that the second Miss Gu was incredibly fortunate, becoming a favored person in front of the Empress.

At this moment, the favored person was in Fengyi Palace, meticulously reporting the progress of the work at Wanxiu Zhai to the Empress.

The Empress was very satisfied after listening and nodded approvingly, saying, “With your help, I feel much more at ease.”

Gu Fu responded honestly, “The selection was caused by me, so it’s my duty to help.”

The Empress couldn’t help but sigh slightly as she looked at Gu Fu, who had only a few helpers yet managed Wanxiu Zhai so efficiently: such a good girl, but in the end, she still couldn’t escape the fate of being at the mercy of the emperor’s will.

The Empress was not a fool and could naturally understand the implications of what the emperor had said to her earlier—the Imperial Preceptor had feelings for Gu Fu.

Although she didn’t understand why the Imperial Preceptor didn’t directly express his intentions to the emperor and ask for a marriage decree, it was clear from the emperor’s attitude that he was pleased with this potential match and was just waiting for the Imperial Preceptor to speak up.

The Empress couldn’t bear to tell Gu Fu the harsh truth while she was still in the dark, but pretending to know nothing made her fear that Gu Fu would be unable to accept reality in the end.

Just as the Empress was inwardly struggling, Gu Fu suddenly asked, “I’ve always wanted to ask, why does Your Majesty put in so much effort to help me?”

Perhaps it was because of the compassion she felt or the understanding she gained from their interactions over time. The Empress knew that Gu Fu was not a talkative person and could be trusted, so she shared her own past, which was very similar to Gu Fu’s.

In her brief narration, there was no resentment or regret, just a faint reminiscence and a sense of pride in her courage back then to disguise herself as her brother to conduct business outside.

Gu Fu had long suspected that there was an untold secret behind it, but she hadn’t expected the Empress’s experience to be so similar to her own. She listened quietly to the Empress’s recollections and the amusing stories of her trading days. Finally, when the Empress paused to sip tea and moisten her throat, Gu Fu asked her a question—

“Does Your Majesty feel any discontent?”

There was a river in the capital that flowed from west to east, with its main course running through both the East and West markets. This allowed goods from outside the city to be transported directly into the city by boat, where they were unloaded at the docks in the East and West markets.

The river had over a dozen tributaries, two of which flowed through the Imperial City and then into the Palace City, forming the Shui Jing Pool and the Ling Yao Pool within the palace. Other tributaries flowed through various parts of the city, providing water for daily use and allowing for the construction of canals that led to homes, creating beautiful lake scenery.

The city became lively on the Dragon Boat Festival, when dragon boat races were held. Several dragon boats would take turns racing along the city river, with the boat that used the least time and sustained the least damage winning the race.

To seek excitement in the competition, the dragon boat race in the city usually selected the most winding, rugged, and narrow river channels as the racecourse.

Gu Fu had originally agreed to go out with Mu Qingyao to watch the dragon boat race. However, on the morning of the event, a plump pigeon left a dropping on Mu Qingyao’s shoulder, which greatly distressed her as she loved cleanliness. This incident left her so mentally disturbed that she didn’t want to go out anymore, preferring to stay home and calm down while holding the cage of the pigeon.

Worried that Mu Qingyao might do something rash like cook the pigeon into soup, Gu Fu also planned to stay home. However, Mu Qingyao had made a book list specifically for that day, saying that several books were only available for purchase on that day, and asked Gu Fu to buy them for her at the bookstore.

Not wanting to further upset Mu Qingyao, Gu Fu agreed and sought someone else to accompany her—since she had to go out anyway, she didn’t want to waste the private room she had reserved at Zhiyalou.

Unfortunately, apart from Gu Zhu and her sister-in-law, the rest of the family was not at home. Gu Zhu had just joined the Military Manufacturing Department and was busy making two Miao swords for Gu Fu from some meteoric iron he had obtained. When he heard Gu Fu inviting him out, he shook his head vigorously, his face turning pale, as if Gu Fu had asked him to brave a mountain of swords and a sea of flames instead of going to watch the dragon boat race.

Gu Fu then went to her sister-in-law’s courtyard, intending to invite her out for some fresh air. But her sister-in-law refused, citing frailty. When Gu Fu was escorted out by the maidservants and nannies from her sister-in-law’s courtyard, a young maid, who was quite outspoken, made a sarcastic comment, saying that Gu Fu only thought of their young mistress after Miss Mu declined to go out. Anyone who didn’t know better might think that Miss Mu was her sister-in-law instead.

Gu Fu looked at the nearby nanny and, seeing that she said nothing, remarked, “If this is the kind of maid trained by my sister-in-law, then I must say I’m very grateful that Second Aunt is currently managing the household.”

The nanny’s expression immediately changed. She had thought that, like everyone else, Gu Fu would pity her young mistress and turn a deaf ear to unpleasant remarks. She hadn’t expected Gu Fu to be so blunt, striking directly at the most sensitive and painful spot.

Gu Fu didn’t bother to argue further. After saying her piece, she turned and left, taking Lu Zhu and setting off in the carriage.

She left Nanny Lin at home to prevent any further issues between her sister-in-law and Mu Qingyao in the absence of the elders.

The bookstore was near the East Market, and on the way, they passed Xuan Yang Street. Seeing the tall Qitian Tower, Gu Fu thought of another person.

When the carriage arrived at the bookstore, Gu Fu donned her veil and got off to buy the books, instructing Lu Zhu to visit Qitian Tower on her behalf.

Not long after, Gu Fu had bought the books and Lu Zhu returned, reporting that since the river for the dragon boat race was far from there, the teahouse across the street was quiet and less crowded. She asked if Gu Fu would like to sit for a while.

Gu Fu nodded and followed Lu Zhu to the second-floor private room of the teahouse.

Inside, Fu Yan, wearing a hooded outer garment, was drinking tea.

Gu Fu removed her veil and approached him, asking, “Aren’t you hot?”

Fu Yan’s gaze lingered on Gu Fu’s outfit for a moment.

Today, Gu Fu was wearing a bamboo-green skirt, an orange-red tube top, and a lotus-colored short jacket. She wore minimal jewelry, looking especially fresh and neat.

Retracting his gaze, Fu Yan shook his head and said, “Not hot.”

Gu Fu touched the edge of Fu Yan’s hood and found that although the outer garment wasn’t transparent, it was light and breathable, not prone to causing heat.

Since Gu Fu was wearing women’s clothing, it wasn’t appropriate for Fu Yan to ride in the Gu family’s carriage. Instead, they exited through the teahouse’s back door, where a discreet, unmarked carriage awaited them. The interior was luxuriously familiar to Gu Fu, though the stove had been replaced with an ice chest.

The coachman flicked the reins, driving the carriage toward the bustling streets. Like during the Lantern Festival, Gu Fu had Fu Yan remove his hood inside the carriage so she could braid his hair, preventing it from peeking out.

Unfortunately, Gu Fu’s braiding skills hadn’t improved at all, and she ended up pulling out several strands of Fu Yan’s hair. Finally, she had to give up on the three-strand braid and settled for bundling all his hair together.

“Your hair is too slippery,” Gu Fu defended herself.

Fu Yan let her be, even responding with an “Mm.”

Upon arriving at Zhiyalou, Gu Fu held the token given by the waiter and sat close to Fu Yan, the two of them discussing and ordering five different flavors of zongzi.

After the waiter left, Fu Yan asked Gu Fu, “Don’t you want any desserts from Jinchanxuan?”

Gu Fu particularly enjoyed the feeling of making decisions with Fu Yan, so she asked, “Do you want some?”

Fu Yan nodded, saying he wanted to eat the blue dessert he had last time.

Gu Fu was surprised. “I thought you didn’t like that.”

Last time they had it, Fu Yan’s reaction was very indifferent.

But Fu Yan replied, “I didn’t dislike it.”

Gu Fu asked Lu Zhu to go buy it, then turned to Fu Yan and said, “It’s completely unnoticeable; you really don’t express your preferences well.”

Fu Yan looked at Gu Fu and simply responded, “…Mm.”

The private room Gu Fu had reserved at Zhiyalou was located at the corner, with windows on two sides: one facing the river used for the dragon boat race and the other facing the adjacent distillery, separated only by a narrow alley filled with the rich aroma of liquor.

As the dragon boats passed Zhiyalou, the shore erupted in deafening cheers and shouts. The paddlers on the dragon boats were highly coordinated, navigating a sharp turn without slowing down or damaging the boat, drawing enthusiastic applause from the spectators.

Gu Fu and Fu Yan sat by the window watching. One was naturally cold and detached, while the other’s attention was always on their companion, so neither was affected by the lively atmosphere.

Just as the dragon boats moved away, Lu Zhu returned with a food box.

Inside the box, besides the desserts from Jinchanxuan, were several longevity threads made of five-colored silk.

The Dragon Boat Festival had many customs, including eating zongzi, racing dragon boats, hanging mugwort, flying kites, and tying five-colored longevity threads around children’s wrists.

Jinchanxuan had many patrons who were girls or children, so on this day, they gave out longevity threads to their customers.

Gu Fu hadn’t worn a longevity thread in a long time and felt nostalgic, so she tied one on herself before grabbing Fu Yan’s hand and tying one on him as well.

The brightly colored thread on Fu Yan’s wrist, set against his all-white attire, looked a bit out of place, but Gu Fu liked it very much.

Fu Yan liked it too. Remembering how Gu Fu had said he didn’t express his preferences well, he wanted to try and tell her in words.

However, before he could speak, a loud crash sounded from outside the window, as if something had fallen from a height and hit the ground hard.

Gu Fu stood up and quickly walked to the window facing the distillery. Even before she could open the window, she heard someone shouting, “Imperial guards at work! What are you looking at?!”

Outside, a series of window-shutting sounds followed, indicating that others had already opened their windows to watch the commotion but were scared off by the Imperial Guards’ scolding.

Why were the Imperial Guards, who should be busy protecting the Emperor during the Dragon Boat Festival, making a fuss here?

Gu Fu stood by the window and listened for a while, noticing that the guards left after their outburst. Her curiosity growing, she pushed open the window to look down.

What she saw was a man sitting on the ground in the narrow alley, leaning against the distillery wall. His face was bruised and swollen on one side, his eye reduced to a slit.

The more Gu Fu looked at that face, the more familiar it seemed, though she thought it impossible.

At that moment, Fu Yan walked up behind Gu Fu, placing her veil back on her head and confirming her suspicions. “Guo Jian, your former right-hand man, was transferred to the capital at the end of last year. He currently commands the Chiyao Army.”


Translator’s notes:

Zongzi –  traditional Chinese rice dish made of glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in bamboo leaves. Fillings can be either sweet, such as red bean paste, or savory, such as pork belly or Chinese sausage.


Translator’s notes:

The miaodao (pair of miao swords mentioned in the story) (苗刀) is a Chinese two-handed dao or saber, with a narrow blade, long hilt, and an overall length of 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in) or longer.


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After Shedding My Armor, I Await Marriage

After Shedding My Armor, I Await Marriage

卸甲后我待字闺中 Xiè Jiǎ Hòu Wǒ Dài Zì Guī Zhōng
Score 9.2
Status: Completed Type: Author: Released: 2020 Native Language: Chinese

In the ninth year of Yongqing, General Gu Fu died in Qi Huai. The current emperor posthumously honored him as Marquis Zhongshun.

In the twelfth month of the same year, the second Miss Gu, who had accompanied her grandmother to the mountains to perform Buddhist rites for five years, returned home. The first thing she faced upon arrival was punishment—kneeling in the ancestral hall. In the ancestral hall, the elder of the Gu family scolded her, telling her not to act recklessly in the future and to obediently wait for the elders to arrange a marriage for her. However, she responded with a single sentence that made him storm off in anger. An unaware aunt and younger sister came to visit, seemingly out of concern, but they were actually mocking her. She calmly countered their remarks. Finally, her elder brother arrived. The scholarly eldest son of the Gu family paced back and forth in front of her, eventually blurting out, "The military camp is full of men! Do you know that if word of your disgraceful behavior spreads, it will bring shame to the family's daughters?" Gu Fu finally shed her carefree demeanor and replied seriously, "Defending the country is not a disgrace." Upon hearing that the Gu family wanted to marry off the second Miss Gu, the current emperor immediately sought out the empress, earnestly saying, "I regard the second Miss Gu as my own daughter. I can't let her marry just anyone. If empress has time, perhaps you could help me by looking for suitable candidates for her in the capital." The empress: "..." Understood, Matchmaking 101 it is.
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